Chris Benz Is Back—And Aiming to Revive the Bill Blass Name

At the risk of stating the apparent, brand revivals more often than not go one of two ways: hewing too fastidiously to the archives and turning out pieces that are anachronistic or costumey, or, in a misguided bid to modernize, just alienating existing fans. Chris Benz’s new vision for Bill Blass aims to eschew both of those by serving up a redux that’s neither overly fashion-y nor retro, with a goodly dose of the ladylike quirk that characterized Benz’s lapsed eponymous line.

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Photo: Courtesy of Chris Benz / @cmbenz

The designer might come as something of a surprise for a successor, given Blass’s legacy of classic American sportswear. But a posse of mannequins sporting archival pieces tucked into a corner at today’s preview seemed a testimony to the common ground between the two designers—sequins, for one, but also the whimsical flourishes to be found in Blass’s work, like a trompe l’oeil cable-knit or paillette-encrusted still-life skirts. Still, that playful legacy is one that’s been dulled with time. As Benz tells it candidly, “When I first was called about it, I was like, ‘Ugh, Bill Blass!’ Because I sort of shared the [public] sentiments about the brand’s past 15 years when it was over-licensed.” Eventually, though, Blass president and COO Stuart Goldblatt was able to assure Benz of the creative freedom and support that would be made available to him, and an official announcement appointing him to the post was made a year ago.

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Photo: Courtesy of Chris Benz / @cmbenz

Since then, the designer’s headed into the archives (the new BB logo is borrowed from Mr. Blass’s own stationery), eschewing the minutiae in favor of what he calls “a Google Earth view”—that is to say, a broad riff, zeroing in on a few codes and the spirit that the maestro was most known for. “Every piece can be the cherry on top of your wardrobe. We’re never going to do a black cashmere sweater or a black pencil skirt. I want every cool girl that I know to come to the website and find a yellow bag that she can wear back to things that she already has.” Indeed, palette is paramount; Spring is chock-full of punchy citrus shades and primary colors. Nods to the titan’s ’70s heyday are subtle and natural—to wit, a sweet, sequined rugby dress.

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Photo: Courtesy of Chris Benz / @cmbenz

The brand’s business model, though, is planted firmly on this side of the 21st century: an e-commerce-only approach for both ready-to-wear and accessories, “like Netflix,” as Benz puts it—you’ll only be able to buy the new Blass from Blass. The inaugural offering will be available online from November 2, shipping to 68 countries worldwide, with small monthly deliveries. Goldblatt tells Vogue.com that with Benz’s 170,000 Twitter followers, he was a logical choice: “We knew that we had to make this an e-commerce play and that Chris would be able to design and establish [Blass] as a digital brand.”